While stopping short of confirming rumors of 1.5 million pre-orders, T-Mobile told BetaNews today that pre-sale demand for its G1 is "robust," and that the first Android device will, in fact, be available on Oct. 22.

In a statement to BetaNews this morning, T-Mobile finally lifted its veil of silence on reports that customers have pre-ordered 1.5 million G1 phones. Although neither confirming nor denying rumors flying around since Friday, a T-Mobile spokesperson said that the industry's first Android device is "one of the most highly anticipated phones of the year," that demand "continues to be robust," and that the phone will be available on Oct. 22 for customers "to be able to experience."

Conversational scuttlebutt and a huge round of published accounts about the 1.5 million G1 pre-orders got sparked late last week by an article in Motley Fool. Although the rumors remained unconfirmed, some observers also wondered online whether T-Mobile would be able to deliver on all of the pre-orders by customers in time for an October ship date.

In a statement issued today, though, T-Mobile has told BetaNews, "While we have not released specific pre-sales numbers, nor do we comment on rumor or speculation, we look forward to Oct. 22, when our customers will be able to experience this unique phone first-hand."

Meanwhile, T-Mobile has scheduled a G1 launch fest for Oct. 16 in New York City. At the initial G1 rollout in Manhattan on Sept. 23, however, T-Mobile and its G1 partners Google and HTC gave Oct. 22 as the projected delivery date for the Android-based device.

Also at the event on Sept. 23, a senior T-Mobile official told BetaNews that the wireless provider plans additional devices for the Google-spearheaded platform.

While the G1 device from HTC is aimed at giving a "Google-focused experience" to users, future Android phones for T-Mobile's emerging 3G market will be geared to other kinds of "user experiences," said Mitch Lustig, T-Mobile USA's senior manager of product development.